


By Royal Decree

by ioanite



Category: Aladdin (1992)
Genre: Community: disney_kink, F/M, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2016-11-11
Packaged: 2018-08-30 09:03:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8527156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ioanite/pseuds/ioanite
Summary: The time has finally come for Aladdin to become Sultan. Everyone expects him to enact a few changes, but no one expected it to be THIS dramatic a change.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided to do something a little different from here on out when it comes to fills I write for kink/fic memes. If they're fairly generic, I'll put them at the beginning, as I've been doing up till now. If it might spoil the plot, however, I'm going to put it at the end for those who'd rather be surprised by how the story plays out. As you can guess, this is one of those.

Agrabah may have been a city of mystery and enchantment, but it was also a city very set in its ways. Even the events of recent years—genies, evil magicians, the Sultan changing the marriage law, and the various threats to the kingdom—hadn’t been enough to dissuade the populace that things would eventually return to normal. After Princess Jasmine’s marriage, things did indeed start to settle down, although there were still spontaneous bursts of magic whenever the genie dropped by for a visit. The people nodded their heads sagely and went about their business, content that the city was as grand and well-maintained as it had always been.

Then, five years after the marriage, their Sultan finally passed away. All the proper mourning rites were observed, and the city was allowed time to grieve for its leader, who had been kind if occasionally a bit scatterbrained. Naturally, their new Sultan, Aladdin, would inject some new life into things, but the odds were that very little would change. So it had been for generations, and so it always would be.

When the proper mourning period had passed, the people gathered under the tallest balcony of the palace, waiting to see their new Sultan and his first official decree. That was a tradition in and of itself; a new Sultan made a decree to officially cement his power. Generally, it was little things, like the construction of a new building or the creation of a new royal position. The last Sultan’s first decree had been to announce a day-wide festival to celebrate a particularly prosperous year of trade, which had warmed the populace to him immediately. Given Aladdin’s background, it seemed likely that his first decree would assist the poor in some way. The only question was, how would he go about it?

High above them, the silk curtains rustled, and the crowd fell silent. After a moment, their new Sultan appeared in the white robes and turban that signified his position. He placed his hands on the balcony, then immediately withdrew one of them to steady his turban, which had wobbled and nearly fallen off his head. The crowd laughed, mostly sympathetically; he was still adjusting to things, after all.

Once his turban was on straight, Sultan Aladdin cleared his throat, and the people fell silent again. “Citizens of Agrabah!” he said, his voice echoing across the city (no doubt the genie was helping to augment his voice in some way), “I am honored to stand before you today as your Sultan for the first time.” The crowd applauded politely. The Sultan nodded his head and continued. “As is customary, I shall now make my first official decree.”

As he spoke, servants appeared on the balcony, bearing a small table, ink, and two scrolls. The crowd held its breath, eager to hear the decree. Sultan Aladdin unrolled one of the scrolls, straightened up, and read out;

“I, Sultan Aladdin, declare that from this day forth, the sexes shall be considered equal. Women may hold the same positions as men, and vice versa. Every person shall be judged solely on the basis of merit and skill. I realize that this may lead to a difficult period of transition, but rest assured, there will be help on hand to make it as easy as possible.”

The crowd was stunned into silence for a moment. They were used to tales of Sultans of old making grand decrees, to ensure that their names would be remembered, but there had never been one of this magnitude before. Then, one of the women in the crowd began to clap. She was joined by another, and then another, who let out a cheer. Soon, every woman in the square was applauding and singing Aladdin’s praises. The enthusiasm of the women was infectious, and slowly, the men began to applaud too. Eagle-eyed observers who remained looking up at the balcony might have noticed that Aladdin’s shoulders slumped in obvious relief at the reaction, though most were too wrapped up in thoughts of what this new decree would mean to pay that much attention.

As the clapping died down, Aladdin laid the paper on the table and put his signature to it, thus making it official. He then picked up the second scroll and said, “And now, honored citizens, if you will permit me…I have a second proclamation to make.”

The crowd started whispering amongst itself, wondering what it could mean. An explanation of how he would put this new decree into effect, perhaps? Or possibly an announcement that he and Princess Jasmine were now expecting a child? It would certainly be fortuitous to make that announcement on the same day he was made Sultan. This theory was only strengthened when Princess Jasmine herself appeared on the balcony, standing beside her husband, looking tall and proud. In fact, she almost seemed more confident than their Sultan. Surely that was a sign that she was carrying a child?

Sultan Aladdin looked over at his wife, and those with sharp eyes were able to catch the briefest of smiles on his face before he read from the scroll;

“In accordance with the new decree, I, Sultan Aladdin, do hereby abdicate my position as Sultan, instead giving all power and responsibility to my wife, Princess Jasmine, hereafter to be called Sultana Jasmine.”

The crowd gasped collectively, loudly enough that they would have drowned out any more words Aladdin might have spoken, magical enhancement or not. Fortunately, he must have expected this reaction, for he merely waited until the gasps and murmurings had died down before he continued to read.

“I am aware that this is both unorthodox and shocking to many of you, but Sultana Jasmine is much more suited to this task than I. She has grown up around court politics all her life, even if she did not always agree with them. She knows how to handle foreign dignitaries and negotiate treaties, skills which I do not possess. Instead, I shall take my unique talent for getting into and out of trouble and apply it to exploring the world outside of Agrabah, looking for new potential allies, treasure to add to the royal coffers, and uncharted lands that we could claim as our own. I shall assist Agrabah from the outside, while Sultana Jasmine works from within. We have both agreed this is a much more satisfactory arrangement for all concerned. We are certain, given time, that the citizens of Agrabah will come to feel the same way.”

Then, before the crowd could do much more than start whispering again, their former Sultan set the scroll onto the table, signed his name, and passed the quill to Princess—Sultana—Jasmine, who signed as well, making the abdication official. Then Aladdin retreated back into the palace, leaving Jasmine standing before the people, surveying them with an expression that simultaneously was one of kindly reassurance and steely determination. “You may all return to your homes. Bread, dates, and wine will be provided to all of you as you exit the palace. Those of you who have questions concerning Sultan Aladdin’s decree can make inquiries with the palace guards, and will be escorted to the throne room to discuss the matter. Be warned, however, that belligerence will not be tolerated; at the first sign of hostility, you will be immediately escorted out.”

With that, she bowed her head to those assembled below and disappeared from view. While a small group fought their way towards the nearest guard, the rest of the populace made their way to the palace gates, uncertain how to respond to what had just happened. However, there was a certain glint in the eyes of the women, a sort of hesitant excitement. Things in Agrabah were about to be permanently changed, and they were to be instrumental in making that change.  
***

Jasmine heard a tapping at her window and grinned, setting down her scroll and turning to look. Sure enough, Aladdin was peering through the window, Carpet waving a tassel in greeting. “It’s about time you got back,” Jasmine teased as Aladdin slid inside the room, “Did you go to the ends of the earth again?”

“Never again,” Aladdin said with a shudder, “Far too cold for my tastes, no matter how much magic Genie uses. No, we just went Westward to see what was there.”

“And?” Jasmine said, both amused and curious. 

“It’s got potential. We only got an overhead view, since we didn’t want to alarm the city below, but it looks like it’s got a thriving population and a decent amount of goods. In fact, Genie says there are cities just like it all over that region.”

“It certainly sounds worth investigating,” Jasmine agreed, “You and Genie will have to mount a more thorough expedition in a week or so. Until then, though, I expect you to stick around. I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Aladdin said, finally embracing her and giving her a kiss, “For all of Genie’s magic and Carpet’s softness, it’s never as comfortable as lying next to you in the silks and cushions of our bed.”

“Flatterer,” Jasmine said, affectionately pressing his nose before extricating herself, “I’ll send for some food for the both of us. I’ve been too lost in my work to eat myself.”

“How have things been going?” Aladdin asked, stretching out on the nearest couch.

“Fairly well. The new school has been a tremendous success, so much so that I’m going to need to find at least two new people to act as teachers. Perhaps Genie can fill the gap while I search.”

Aladdin chuckled. “He’d certainly keep the children enthralled, though I don’t know how much they’d actually remember of his lessons. Do you have anyone in mind?”

“I’ve heard that there’s a carpet weaver called Hafsa who’s not only very methodical in her work, but very patient in explaining things to her assistants. Both would serve her well in dealing with children. Not to mention that she taught herself to read and write so that she could fully understand the scenes she was depicting on her carpets and tapestries. I don’t think we could ask for a better match.”

"She sounds perfect. Would you like me to approach her, or do you want to do it yourself?”

“We should do it together, I think. Despite everything, I’ve heard she’s still skeptical that women are free to take on any job they wish. My presence, combined with your prior life, might be enough to convince her that the offer is genuine.”

“I’m sure we can manage that,” Aladdin smiled, “Maybe we could take her to the school and let her see things for herself. That way, she’ll have an easier time deciding if this is something she’d like to do.”

“Agreed. I hope she takes the position; that would be one less thing to worry about.”

“I think you may be worrying too much,” Aladdin said, as she pulled the cord to summon a servant, “It may have taken a few months of adjustment, but things in Agrabah couldn’t be running smoother. Schooling, irrigation, shelters for the poor, new harvest techniques…under you, this city’s entering another golden age.”

“I can’t take all the credit,” Jasmine said, “I’m not the one who comes up with the ideas.”

“Yes, but you’re willing to listen to even the most outlandish theories, and you’re wise enough to know which ones are worth following up on. That’s not something everyone can do.”

Jasmine smiled at him, but was prevented from saying anything by the arrival of a servant. After sending him away for some wine and bread, she climbed onto the divan next to Aladdin, sighing and stretching out. “It’s good to have you back. My advisers are all well and good, but I like having someone with more…practical experience to run ideas past.”

“I aim to please. Is there anything in particular on your mind?”

“Not tonight,” Jasmine said, turning to face him, “It’s best not to mix business and pleasure. Besides, I owe you a proper welcome home.”

She leaned in and kissed him, her hands sliding underneath his vest. Any old-timers who witnessed the scene would have nodded in approval before leaving the couple to their own devices. After all, while many things in Agrabah had changed, expressions of love would always be something familiar.

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt: "So, it's presumed that when the Sultan dies, Aladdin will be the next Sultan. Nobody expects (though they really should have done) that Aladdin will be in power long enough to make exactly one proclamation: complete equality of the sexes. Then he, with relief, lets Jasmine become Sultan (or Sultana, however she wishes to style herself) and goes back to being an adventuring hero.
> 
> tl;dr: Aladdin becomes Sultan and immediately changes the law to let Jasmine replace him."


End file.
